SOLAR 2009
A Busy Success in Buffalo
More than 4,500 participants
and 146 exhibitors convened
at SOLAR 2009, the American Solar Energy Society’s
National Solar Conference, in
Buffalo, N. Y., May 13–16. The
number of exhibitor booths rose 6 percent over
SOLAR 2008 in San Diego.
ASES kicked off the conference by
announcing its acquisition of Solar Nation,
the rapidly growing online advocacy organization. Chris Stimpson, executive campaigner
for Solar Nation, will set up a new office in
Washington, D.C., to represent both organizations. For more information about the new
partnership, see “ASES Teams Up With Solar
Nation,” page 58.
As usual, conference participants had access
to a crowded schedule of workshops, policy
discussions and technical papers. Exhibitors
conducted 32 training sessions, and the ASES
Divisions produced some 66 panels, with 240
speakers and 150 technical papers, on subjects
from “Case Studies in Community Solar” to
“Water vs. Energy.”
SOLAR TODAY STAFF Report
Photos by DAN BIHN
Thousands came to
training, technical
and policy sessions
at the annual ASES
National Solar
Conference.
A few highlights from the sessions:
Community solar: In 2006, Ellensburg,
Wash., became the nation’s first community
solar project. Since then, the community has
installed a total of 57 kilowatts of photovoltaics
(PV) along Highway 90, where it garners a lot
of attention. In a partnership with the utility,
residents contributed to the system installation cost in exchange for a proportionate credit
on their electricity bills for 20 years. Through
another program, Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s SolarShares, customers can subscribe to shares in a utility-scale solar system in
exchange for offsets on their electricity bill.
Solar standards: The Solar America Board
of Codes and Standards is a project of the
Department of Energy with the goal of improving the effectiveness and accessibility of solar
codes. With 13 partner organizations, including New Mexico State University, the Interstate
Renewable Energy Council and Sandia National
Laboratories, the board drafts reports on issues
such as fire safety guidelines, solar access laws
and system performance standards.
European hot water: In December, the EU
established a market-wide renewable energy
standard (RES) of 20 percent by 2020. The
plan calls for solar water heating in both new
and existing buildings. To push this program
through, the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) waged a classic multichannel and multilingual political marketing
crusade. Marketing “tool boxes” went to companies and organizations to help them create
their own local ads. There were CDs, brochures,
The Buffalo Niagara Convention Center hosted
146 exhibitors, promoting PV and solar water-heating systems. Above right, Harold Hay, 100
years old, was honored with the Charles Greeley
Abbot Award.
